This time, the word is that people in their 40s and 50s should drink alcohol, but not more than once per month, if they want to reduce their chances of suffering from mild mental impairment later in life.

The researchers, writing in the British Medical Journal, found those who drank no alcohol and those who drank frequently – several times a month – in mid-life were both twice as likely to have mild mental impairment in old age than those who drank infrequently – less than once a month.